SISSONVILLE (AP) - Eleven years between West Virginia Open titles was too long for Jonathan Clark.
Clark used a strong start to post a 6-under-par 65 Friday for a six-stroke victory at Edgewood Country Club, adding to the Open title he won in 2001 at Berry Hills Country Club in Charleston.
"I'm sort of stuck in awe," Clark said. "I've always said you can win one Open. Once you win that second one, it makes me feel validated that it wasn't a one-time wonder."
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Jonathan Clark hoists the W.Va. Open championship trophy.
AP Photo
Clark went 5 under on the front nine alone to win rather comfortably over Charleston pro Christian Brand and three-time defending champion David Bradshaw.
Clark, who is the head pro and general manager of Sleepy Hollow Golf Club in Hurricane, finished with a 12 under total.
Bradshaw shot 70 and Brand shot 71. Both finished at 6 under. Hurricane amateur Sam O'Dell was fourth at 5 under.
Wheeling's Bryan Myers finished two shots over, while Wheeling's Joey Seabright and Cole Hand were eight and 12 shots over, respectively.
Clark got redemption of sorts for losing to Bradshaw in 2004 by one stroke on the final hole the last time the tournament was held at Edgewood.
Of course he was thinking about that.
"I hate to say it but I was a little bit," Clark said. "After a couple of state Opens you'd thrown away and you work hard to get to the end of the day, I told my caddie, 'we've got to finish this deal.' Fortunately we were lucky coming down the last six holes. We finished it off and we did it."
It marked the best winning score at the Open in relation to par since 1995, when Scott Davis finished at 12 under at Canaan Valley Resort. The six-shot margin of victory was the most since John Ross beat Clark by seven in 1999 at Guyan Golf and Country Club in Huntington.
Unlike 2004, this year's tournament at Edgewood was decided much earlier.
Edgewood pro Craig Berner led by two entering the final round but couldn't match the pair of 4-under 67s that he shot in the first two rounds. He shot 75 and slid into a tie for fifth with Concord University assistant golf coach Darcy Donaldson, who shot 70.
Clark, Berner and Brand played in the final group Friday.
Clark had two early birdies and made eagle with a 25-foot putt on the par-5 fifth hole to go ahead to stay.
"From that point on, it was sort of, OK, now I've got the lead, we've got to do as much as we can to maintain it and try to hold on," Clark said. "Fortunately we still made some birdies. It was one of the best putting days I've ever had in my life."
Clark birdied the par-4 ninth to move to 11 under, four shots ahead of Berner and six ahead of Bradshaw and Brand.
Clark's only blemishes were bogeys at Nos. 12 and 15. Berner bogeyed the 12th and couldn't gain any ground, becoming the latest host pro to fall short of winning the tournament.
Brand, the first-round leader, saw his chances end after a bogey at No. 14. And back-to-back birdies for Bradshaw on Nos. 14 and 15 weren't enough. Clark wrapped up the win with an eagle on the par-5 16th.
Both of Clark's eagle putts made in the round came from off the green. A 15-minute lightning delay near the end of the round did little to slow his momentum.
